Hi.

Feb 22 What's Ruby Doing?

What's Ruby doing? is how most posts begin by Ruby Purple, creator of a vegan-friendly wearable art range and abstract artworks that represent nature. Ruby is always up to something creative and working her way towards building her artist empire while spreading positive messages about the environment.

See how creative impulses have driven Ruby to where she is today:

People have described your work as being meditative, interactive and emotional, what is your main message behind your work and how do you describe your art style? ~ My message is 'Preservation of our Environment' bringing an awareness and connecting with people to share this message. My aim is to change to world one person at a time. My style is abstract although I'm known for my layering technique and blank boarder around my works. This is representational of the many layers in our ever-changing environment, and the blank boarder represents a future unknown.

You started to take your practice seriously in 2009, how have you built your brand since then? ~A lot of hard work and persistence. Education is the key and learning from those who know, asking questions and then taking advice and putting it into practice. There's no easy way to build your brand, you have to get out there and walk the walk, talk the talk and remember to enjoy the challenges and rewards every day. The people you meet are fantastic!

The word connection/s is very important in expressing what your exhibitions are about - can you tell us why? ~ Connections for me represent our humanity and our connection to our environment, being part of that, and as our environment is changing so much I don't want to focus on just one element as I believe as a people we need to focus on the whole; one small change now leads to a big impact in the future.

What does success mean to you? ~ Success to me is doing a job you love, one you have passion for and are instinctively driven to improve in. I am so grateful to be doing what I love and would be very happy if everyone supported my journey by investing in a Ruby Purple Creation right now ha ha! Seriously though, when I hear someone comment positively on my work, or one of my wearable art displays and/or say "I haven't really thought that much about the environment, but maybe it's time that I did" this is success to me! I'm always humbled when my work sells and so very grateful as this allows me to continue to do what I do.

What inspires you and how do you stay motivated? ~ Everything I see inspires me, the people, places, experiences, the simple things, walking by the foreshore and seeing the birds argue over a chip ha ha!, this can lead to so many paintings. I'm eternally grateful for the support I have and the opportunity to do what I do, so it's a no brainer for me I love what I do and this keeps me motivated!

How can people get in touch or follow you? ~ I get around! Firstly, check out my website www.rubypurplecreations.com, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and I'm also on LinkedIn

When did you launch your vegan-friendly wearable art range and what made this appealing to you? ~ 2015 was the official launch into the wearable scarf range although there was a lot of research, development and learning that occurred prior to that. I love scarves but was concerned about the impact our fashion industry was having on our environment, so my aim was and still is to spread my message about purchasing quality garments and less of them, hence my vegan-friendly wearable art range was born.

What are your big goals for 2018? ~ Gotta love big goals right?! I believe in pushing boundaries, both personally and professionally. So this year I'll be travelling to Curtin Springs in Central Australia as an Artist in Residence on a working cattle station. This is as remote as you can get, might even see a star or two! Curtin Springs Station is also known for it's paper making from the natural grasses surrounding the property. I'll be learning and participating in their paper making workshop/s. From these papers I'll then create artworks which will tour regionally. So keep an eye on What's Ruby doing? Pretty cool goal!

What excites you? ~ What doesn't?! Anyone who knows me knows I love life and I love living it! I can get excited about how a shadow falls and how the light illuminates a leaf, so if I'm staring at you, I'm not really staring at you, I'm seeing how the light is reflecting on your face, yep easily excited. Always remember the small things too, the support from friends and family, that person you just met, the experiences we have in everyday life.

What advice can you give artists who want to follow their create dreams? ~ Be driven and willing to listen to those who know. Engage in your community, that might be in art groups or collectives. Take small steps and just keep taking them, enjoy what you do as many never get the chance to do their dream job! Be grateful, kind and supportive.